From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Czech Grand Prix, Brno
August 15/16/17 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN FEELING CONFIDENT FOR BRNO

The Ducati Marlboro Team is back in action this weekend after the briefest of summer breaks, during which the hard-working squad entertained huge crowds at the Zandvoort Marlboro Masters event in the Netherlands.

Relaxed and refreshed after a precious few days rest, the team is ready to launch into the final seven races of the 2003 MotoGP World Championship, beginning with Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix at Brno. Riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss both tested at Brno last month and are confident that they can once again run up front. Three weeks ago the pair stormed to superb results at the tight and twisty Sachsenring, confirming once more that the awesome Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici is fast, whatever the racetrack. Catalan GP winner Capirossi currently lies fourth in the 2003 points chase, one place ahead of German GP podium-finisher Bayliss, a remarkable achievement considering this is the Ducati Marlboro Team’s debut season in MotoGP.

After Sunday’s racing the GP circus heads to Estoril for the Marlboro Portuguese Grand Prix and then overseas for the Rio, Pacific, Malaysian and Australian rounds before returning to Europe for the season-ending Marlboro Valencia GP.

PRE-RACE TESTS UNDERLINE DESMOSEDICI’S SPEED
The recent German GP illustrated the unerring strength of the Ducati Marlboro Team. Although the squad had never before been to the awkward, slow-speed Sachsenring circuit, Troy Bayliss finished a brilliant third, one place ahead of team-mate Loris Capirossi, who was suffering after a heavy practice fall. Those results give the team great confidence for Brno, since Bayliss, Capirossi and the Desmosedici are already acquainted with the challenging Czech venue.

The pair attended last month’s pre-event tests at Brno, honing machine set-up for the GP and testing Michelin’s latest MotoGP tyres. Capirossi was lightning fast, lapping at 1:59.54, a fraction inside last year’s Czech GP pole-position pace, even though he never used soft tyres. Bayliss, making his Brno debut, was only half a second down at 2:00.98. And while the Ducati Marlboro Team toiled at Brno, Ducati’s MotoGP test team ran at Mugello, evaluating new software and suspension parts for 2004, suggesting that Ducati’s stunning introduction to MotoGP is just the beginning.

“During testing at Brno Loris was very fast and Troy managed to accumulate precious experience for the race” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “The German GP was good for us and we confirmed once again that we are the strongest factory after Honda but we still have work to do to reach their level. Looking at our first nine GPs, the glass is half full or half empty, depending on which way you look at it. We are reasonably happy but we can never be 100 percent happy until we’re on top. The machine is so new that we learn new things at every event. Finding the final few tenths of a second is always the toughest job, but big challenges motivate us, and the greater the challenge, the greater the motivation!”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli was also delighted with the team’s Sachsenring performance, especially since some people had predicted that the 220-plus horsepower Desmosedici would be difficult to handle around the tortuous circuit. “The German GP showed that our bike is good everywhere, so there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ tracks for us,” says Cecchinelli. “Anyway, we go to Brno in more confident mood than we went to the Sachsenring, for sure we’ll be fighting for the podium. Both our riders already know Brno and we have a good base set-up – gearbox, suspension and so on. To me, Brno is a real racetrack where a good bike and rider can be really fast. It’s a flowing circuit, though completely different from Assen. We had no problem going fast in the tests – we didn’t even use soft tyres. “

LIGHTNING-QUICK CAPIROSSI READY FOR BRNO
Loris Capirossi comes to Brno aiming to improve on his remarkable fourth-place finish at last month’s German GP. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider, who made history when he won Ducati’s first MotoGP victory at June’s Marlboro Catalan GP, raced in Germany just hours after a high-speed tumble that left his number-one machine badly damaged by fire. Battered and bruised by the 200kmh fall, the Italian needed the two-week midseason break more than most!

“I was only 80 percent for the race in Germany, but I should be fine for Brno,” he says. “I think we can have a good race there. Last month’s tests went very well. We didn’t really test any new parts, we just focused on trying some new Michelins and evaluating settings for this track. It’s quite a difficult circuit for set-up – you need a sweet-handling machine to maintain your speed.”

Capirossi has been racing at Brno since his World Championship debut in 1990 but he’s yet to win a race there. Second in the 1991 Czech 125 GP and ’98 250 GP, his best premier-class result at the track is third in the 2001 Czech 500 GP. “Can I win this time?” wonders the former 125 and 250 World Champion who has scored seven front-row starts from the first nine races of 2003. “It’s difficult to say but I think our bike does suit the circuit, though it now seems to work not so bad everywhere. Overall the bike is good. Sometimes we have to work carefully to find the right set-up, and this gives us ideas for the future, so we already have plenty of ideas to improve the machine for next year.”

BRNO FIRST-TIMER BAYLISS BACK IN ACTION
Three weeks after scoring his second MotoGP podium finish, former World Superbike champ Troy Bayliss aims to be in the thick of the action once again at Brno. Third in May’s Marlboro Spanish GP and third again at the Sachsenring, he’s hoping the awesome power of his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici can take him to even greater heights on August 17.

“Being part of the action up front is what racing is all about, so I want more of that,” says the affable Aussie. “This is my first season in MotoGP and we’re doing okay, apart from a few hiccups. I’m feeling quite confident in myself for Brno. It’s good to go to a track I kind of know and hopefully I’ll click with it even better than I did during the tests. It’s quite a tricky circuit – very flowing and wide. I suppose you could say it’s a bit like Mugello, though not as bumpy. And I think it should be good for our bike.”

Bayliss is as happy as Capirossi with the performance of his Desmosedici, though he’s always looking for more. “I think we caught everyone by surprise to start with,” he says. “There’ve been some downs as well, but I’ve had a good set-up at the last few races, so I’m feeling better on the bike. We made great progress at the start of this project, making quite a few changes and trying a few dramatic adjustments. Now we’ve got quite a good base set-up, so we’re making little steps forward and we need more of that to get to the next level. We’re always trying to make the bike easier to ride, hopefully that will come at the next few races.”


THE TRACK
Brno is a masterpiece of a motorcycle circuit. Constructed in the mid-eighties it eschews the modern fashion of tight turns and hairpins for a mighty mix of fast sweepers and undulating corners that test rider talent and machine performance to the limit. Most riders love the place because it’s challenging and also because it’s pretty fast.

But Brno’s most significant characteristic is its constant changes of elevation – the circuit weaves its way across forested hillsides – which means that many of the turns are steeply cambered. Dealing with negative-camber corners requires a perfectly set-up machine, deft riding skills and especially crucial input from Michelin’s tyre engineers. Horsepower is also a major consideration at Brno because this is one racetrack where MotoGP bikes, usually caged in by slower venues, really get moving.

BRNO: 5.403km/3.357miles
Lap record: Daijiro Kato (Honda), 2m 00.605s
2002 pole position: Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team), 1m 59.646s

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 34
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 10 (9xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Brno 2002 results: DNS

LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 30
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 193 (23xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 35 (2xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Brno 2002 results: Grid 5th. Race 6th


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM PREVIEW

Czech Grand Prix
Brno
August 15/16/17 2003

MOTOGP REAWAKENS FOR CZECH CHALLENGE
Fortuna Yamaha Team men Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri will be heading to this weekend’s Galoises Grand Prix of the Czech Republic looking for strong performances. Brno was the track where Yamaha’s YZR-M1 four-stroke machine collected its maiden victory last year in the hands of Max Biaggi. Following a string of improved performances in qualifying and races, the current pair of Yamaha riders in the factory-owned squad will arrive in Brno aiming to emulate that feat after a tough start to the year. The whole Fortuna Yamaha Team arrives refreshed from a two-and-a-half week Summer break from Championship action after a grueling, almost non-stop timetable since pre-season testing began back in January.

The Brno circuit challenges a rider to the maximum of his faculties. Its extensive turns, up- and downhill sections and adverse-camber esses demand the utmost riding skill. And, with a good “old-fashioned” layout (in the best sense of the term) it is all tackled at high-speeds with very few slow corners. The circuit is well suited to the powerful 990cc four-stroke bikes that make up the 24-rider MotoGP grid. The wide and smooth track leaves a variety of lines open to riders and that generally assures some exciting racing. With temperatures in Europe currently reaching record highs, the Fortuna Yamaha Team can expect a hot weekend!

“We had a great result at Brno last year and I would like to think we can do it again,” comments Team Director Davide Brivio.

“Marco has been riding very well and was on course for an excellent finish at the Sachsenring so I really hope he can claim his reward, and a late birthday present, this weekend. He has impressed me with the progress he’s been making and the effort he is putting in and it would be great for him and the team if he can make it onto the podium.

“Carlos, I know, will arrive in Brno aiming for a podium at the very least. He has had a frustrating season and we had really hoped to build from a couple of good results in Catalunya and Assen. He has been consistent at the last couple of races, but I know he wants more than that. If we can give him a bike with which he feels comfortable all weekend I know he likes the track and I know he can build to a good result on Sunday.

“The break has been slightly shorter than in the last few years, but I think it was welcome anyway for the team. The riders have a slightly different outlook and they just want to get on and ride, but it’s important to have a short break. We’re expecting very hot weather in the Czech Republic this weekend so we know it will be hard work for us on and off the track.”

DETERMINED CHECA AT “HOME” AGAIN!

Going to Brno always produces a smile on Carlos Checa’s face for a couple of reasons. In Spanish the Czech Republic is “Republica Checa” so it is a regular joke that it’s yet another “home” race for the British-resident Spaniard who can already count Jerez, Barcelona, Donington and Valencia as “home”. Add to that the fact that he enjoys the fast sweeping nature of the track and that it was the scene of an early test of the new M1 during the 2001 season when Checa’s reported lap times announced that the four-strokes were coming and they were going to be fast! This year Checa is wearing a smile of grim determination as he aims to put himself and his Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1 back where he belongs in the top group of MotoGP riders.

Since his fourth place at the Catalunya Grand Prix in June, 30-year-old Checa had been making steady progress up the World Championship standings until a disappointing eighth place finish at the German GP stalled him in the seventh spot. He is still the leading Yamaha rider, but that fact will not be of interest to the determined Spaniard who will be looking for a podium finish on Sunday.

“We took a risk in Germany and it didn’t pay off,” explains Checa. “We made too many changes during the weekend and the reality is that when we came to the race we just weren’t ready and that’s why I couldn’t do any better. For Brno we just have to make sure that we stay totally focused and keep it very simple. It might mean that in the end we have some limitations with the bike, but so be it. The best thing is to work with what we have and build up steadily to Sunday rather than trying too many different things to try and make the bike perfect.

“I’ve had a good break in the mountains where I’ve been cycling, trekking and climbing so I’m feeling refreshed and confident. I hope we’ll be able to surprise a few people at Brno. I’m under no illusion that it will be easy, however. The Hondas and Ducatis were fast when we tested at Brno last month. And I’m still suffering from the same problem of not being able to flick the bike in as I want or open the throttle. But if we can find front traction and find a bit of the feeling I have had before at Brno with the M1 then we can get a good result.”

MELANDRI AIMS TO “COME OF AGE” ON THE M1
In Great Britain, where Marco Melandri is also resident, 21st birthdays are still widely celebrated as “the coming of age”. Melandri celebrated his 21st birthday in style on Thursday, 7th August but will be aiming to come of age this Sunday on his four-stroke YZR-M1. The reigning 250cc World Champion has been threatening to hit the front of the MotoGP elite for the past couple of races. At the British Grand Prix he qualified on the front row and was running up in fourth place when he crashed out. Two weeks later in Germany Melandri climbed to third place after a superb start before eventually falling from fourth due to a gearbox problem with only six laps to go.

The Ravenna-born Italian can’t wait to be back in action after a couple of weeks off and a birthday party with 500 of his “closest friends”. The spectacular party, organized by his fan club, took place at the Mirabilandia Beach, an amusement and water park in Ravenna. The guest list was actually made up of members of the club, sponsors, journalists and, of course, his many friends. After pretending to have driven a stunt-car in a show for the guests (luckily it was actually piloted by a professional), Marco hit the decks as DJ while everyone made use of the artificial beach, pool and slides.

However, despite having enjoyed his birthday, the winner of last year’s 250cc Czech GP admitted that his mind had never been off Brno. “To be honest I think the shorter the summer break the better,” he explains. “I think my performances and the bike have been improving race by race and I don’t want to break the momentum. I have been totally focused on Brno since the German race and I haven’t stopped working during the break – well, apart from the night of my birthday when I did have some fun!

“In Donington I made a mistake when I fell from a good position. Now that I am 21 I hope I’ll also be more mature and won’t make any more mistakes! We’ve tested with the M1 at Brno which is good. It’s a good track that I like and you can really push there. You need to ride with a nice fluid style and I can’t wait to see if I can improve my performance again. I’m feeling physically very good and I have a lot of confidence so let’s see what the race brings.”

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Visually Brno appears challenging with many long radius medium-speed turns and medium-length straights, but it’s this very feature, this repetitive layout, which lends the Brno Automotodrom to being one of the easiest circuits, technically speaking, on the 16 round MotoGP calendar. Combined with the wide, smooth, track surface, it’s a venue which also allows a wide variety of competitive racing lines. The circuit has some big elevation changes as it winds its way around a forested hillside and this does create some steep and negative cambers. The Brno tarmac also offers a surprising amount of grip, without the reputation for tearing up tyres.

Due its nature Brno is not overly demanding on any specific area of chassis set-up, other than the need to concentrate on the overall balance. The main target is a good, stable, turn-in character and a set-up that offers easy changes in direction; supported by a high level of feel from both the front and rear. To do this Yamaha engineers will ensure that the weight bias is as neutral as possible to prevent overloading the front Michelin in the midpoint of the turn while also ensuring good drive off the sides of the rear. This will build the rider’s confidence therefore encouraging him to keep a high rolling speed – the key area in making up time at this particular venue. And since the track surface is relatively smooth and the top speeds only just nudge 300kmh, straight-line stability can be sacrificed to some degree in order to support this.

The M1 will run a slightly lower center of gravity in an effort to improve the rate of pitching and the bike’s ability to change direction quickly. It will also reduce the risk of the front folding under the rider while entering the downhill sweepers – caused when excess weight transfers onto the front tyre under deceleration, in turn causing the front to understeer.

With no real specific hard braking anywhere on the five kilometer layout, fork springs will be chosen to maximise rider feedback, although biased slightly towards the softer side. It will also be a similar case on the rear with the monoshock’s spring rate. This is possible due to the circuit’s design, which allows the rider to keep up his corner speed, and is therefore unlikely to load the rear shock under power to the same extent as riding the stop-and-go Le Mans layout.

The long radius corners, and consistent, progressive, throttle action needed to ride them quickly has proven a much simpler task on the four-strokes, which is why the race times have dropped so dramatically since the introduction of the new MotoGP regulations last year. Although power is always a must have, throttle connection and a linear power delivery play a prime part in any successful Brno story.


CARLOS CHECA : INFORMATION
Age: 30
Lives: Great Ayton, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 144 (24 x MotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Brno 2002 results. Grid: 6th, Race: 5th

MARCO MELANDRI : INFORMATION
Age: 20
Lives: Derby, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 17 (10 x 250, 7 x 125)
First GP victory: Assen, 1998 (125)
First GP: Brno, 1997 (125)
GP starts: 82 (6 x MotoGP, 42 x 250, 34 x 125)
Pole positions: 8
First pole: Sachsenring, 1998 (125)

Brno MotoGP lap record
2:00.605 (Daijiro Kato (Honda) 2002)

Circuit best lap
1:59.646 (Max Biaggi (Yamaha) 2002)



More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC:
TENTH ROUND OF 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

The first motorcycling competitions in Brno took place way back in 1930. At that time, the races were held along the city streets, but in the early 1980s construction work started on the present-day facilities. In 1987, after it had been off the World Championship programme for some years, the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic returned to Brno. The circuit, which is located in the rolling hills in the south of the Czech Republic, is a long and safe track with a number of ups and downs and some tough changes of direction that make it extremely technical. These are characteristics that put both technicians and riders to the test.

In the middle of August, the Czech Republic Grand Prix is the penultimate meeting in the European section of the championship: it will be followed by the race in Portugal, on 7 September, and then by the four races outside Europe: Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, and Australia. The final curtain will come down, once again in the Old World, on the grand finale in Valencia, Spain, on 2 November.

The circuit:
5,403 metres
6 left-handers
8 right-handers
Longest straight: 636 metres
Maximum width: 15 metres
Built in 1987
Modified in June 1996.

Winners in 2002
125cc class: Cecchinello (ITA) Aprilia
250cc class: Melandri (ITA) Aprilia
MotoGP: Biaggi (ITA) Yamaha

Circuit records
125cc: 2:08.903 Lucio Cecchinello (2002)
250cc: 2:03.836 Melandri (2001)
MotoGP: 2:00.605 Kato (2002)

MAX BIAGGI AND CAMEL PRAMAC PONS TEAM HOPING FOR COMEBACK

Max Biaggi’s unfortunate race came to an end on the 14th lap of the Sachsenring with a slide that put him out of the points zone. Even so, the four-times world champion of the Camel Pramac Pons Team maintains his third place in the overall standings, although the gap separating him from the leader has increased considerably: 57 points – a lot but not too worrying, especially for a tough-skinned competitor like him. A fine sixth place in the race by Max Biaggi’s team-mate Tohru Ukawa did much to defend the colours of the Camel Pramac Pons Team in Germany. With this result, the fine Japanese rider also maintains his sixth place in the overall world championship ratings, with 66 points.

Massimiliano Biaggi could be making his comeback right here in Brno, a track where the great champion of the Camel Pramac Pons Team dominated last year and where he posted a terrific time in recent tests: 1:58.8. Almost one second better than the 2002 pole, the record set by Max Biaggi: 1:59.646.


The Camel Pramac Pons Team has a firm hold on second place in the special team ratings of the MotoGP with 196 points, while the leading Repsol Honda team is ahead with 244 points.

PRAMAC HONDA TEAM

BRNO: A CIRCUIT MAKOTO TAMADA LIKES
Recent tests on the Brno circuit had Makoto Tamada and the technicians of the Pramac Honda Team working flat out. Many new technical solutions from Bridgestone were tried out and a number of comparative tests were made on the two frames of the Honda RC211V. Two days of tests enabled Makoto to perfect his knowledge of the Czech Republic circuit. So for once – just one of the very few times – the Pramac Honda Team’s Japanese rider will be entering a world championship race on a track he already knows a bit, and one he says he likes a lot. A small advantage, or rather a less penalising situation than usual, that promises well for a good result by Makoto. Most of the settings on his Honda should already have been established, so the two days of practice before this Sunday’s race can be used to work out the final details for the race. Meanwhile, two weeks’ holiday in Japan should have given the Casole d’Elsa-based Japanese the rest he needed after working non-stop during the first part of the championship.

Some facts and figures about all the test sessions that Tamada and the team’s official test rider, Shinichi Itoh, have been through since the beginning of the year:

11 TEST SESSIONS

9,710 KM COVERED

1,750 LITRES OF RACING FUEL CONSUMED

170 COMBINATIONS COMPOUNDS AND PROFILES: MATERIALS AND PROTOTYPES PRODUCED BY BRIDGESTONE.

In the recent tests in the Czech Republic, Makoto Tamada’s best lap time was: 2:00.2